Shaheen, Ayotte to lead key Armed Services panel: Will be in strong position to advocate for shipyard, Pease

By JIM HADDADIN

Thursday, February 21, 2013

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Kelly Ayotte

WASHINGTON, D.C. — New Hampshire's two senators have landed subcommittee spots that could help them shield local military operations from cuts in defense spending.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, will chair the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, and Republican Sen. Kelly Ayottee has been tapped as the ranking member of the same panel.

The subcommittee has jurisdiction over military resources and training, as well as depots and shipyards, business management and contracting oversight, and energy security issues.

In a joint announcement Wednesday, the two women said they'll use their leadership positions to advocate for local military facilities and programs, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Pease Air National Guard Base.

“I'm honored to have this opportunity and I'm eager to get to work with Senator Ayotte on behalf of our men and women in uniform and our national security priorities,” Shaheen said in a written statement.

Ayotte also served as ranking member of the subcommittee last year. Ayotte said she hopes to identify efficiencies and savings in the Pentagon's budget and guard against “irresponsible cuts” that would leave troops and defense suppliers “less prepared.”

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Jeanne Shaheen

“As Chair and Ranking Member, Senator Shaheen and I will continue to work to ensure that our military men and women have the resources they need to fulfill their missions, and to protect Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Pease — which are irreplaceable national security assets,” Ayotte said in a prepared statement.

So how important are committee assignments?

Senators generally consider landing good assignments a priority at the start of each term because committee work is highly influential. According to a report from the congressional research service, Republicans rely on a seniority formula to make nominations, while Senate Democrats use a Steering and Coordination Committee to make choices on a case-by-case basis.

The Armed Services Committee is among the top five most desirable Senate committees, according to an academic study conducted in the mid-1990s.

James W. Endersby, assistant professor of political science at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Karen M. McCurdy, assistant professor of political science at Georgia Southern University, set out in 1996 to measure the prestige associated with each Senate committee seat. They analyzed records stretching from World War II to the 103rd Congress, a span of more than 45 years.

The assessment was based in part on measuring transfers from one committee to another. They assumed lawmakers who switched committees were doing so in hopes of increasing their “political and electoral capital.”

Their study found the Armed Services Committee ranked near the middle of the pack in terms of prestige. It trailed behind the committees on foreign relations, appropriations, finance and the judiciary.

Rounding out the list were the committees on commerce, rules and administration, aeronautics, agriculture, interior, labor and government operations.

The fact that Shaheen and Ayotte are serving on the readiness subcommittee could be particularly significant in the future if lawmakers are asked to approve another round of military base closures. As chairwoman, Shaheen would preside over any base realignment and closure discussions.

Maine Sen. Angus King, an Independent, has also landed a seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee this year — a position he hopes to use to the benefit of Bath Iron Works and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

King has subcommittee seats on the sea power, strategic forces and personnel subcommittees.

“I'm pleased to have been named to these three important subcommittees because it's vital that Maine be given a voice in their critical work,” King said in a prepared statement. “My positions will allow me to advocate for Mainers who serve in the armed forces and for Maine's best interests, particularly when it comes to our state's defense industry, which not only contributes greatly to our national security, but which also provides a job for many hard-working Mainers. I look forward to undertaking that work and seeing that Maine is well represented.”